Hair coloring compositions are used in many different ways to apply coloring to hair and eyelashes for example. Hair coloring is undertaken to change or cover the color of hair for many different reasons. For instance, hair is often dyed to cover hair that has turned gray, to lighten or change the shade of hair, or to highlight or lowlight hair. Bright colors may be used for a fun effect, especially with temporary coloring compositions. The hair coloring procedures used to generate these results are often markedly different and use different coloring compositions. The hair coloring compositions may be permanent or semi-permanent dyes. Temporary dyes are also used that may be washed from the colored hair with conventional shampoo and water. Alternatively, the coloring composition may be materials which coat the hair with a colored substance to impart a temporary color to the hair.
Salon dye application typically involves mixing and then applying liquid dye to the hair by a technician or stylist. The dye may be applied to the hair in a liquid form, or may be mixed to form a gel or paste. This process is complicated and time consuming, and many devices and systems exist to enable a person to color their own hair, or to enable professional colorists to more easily apply dye or color to the hair in a salon.
A system for applying color to hair is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,177, which depicts a cartridge coupled to a plurality of hollow dispensing times. The times resemble the bristles of a common hair brush. The cartridge includes a piston that forces a liquid hair dye through the tines to contact hair while the cartridge is passed through hair as though brushing hair using a conventional hair brush. This is exemplary of many hand held devices that use liquid colorants.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,812 describes a hand-held dispenser having a comb or brush and an optional sponge for application of liquids such as dyes to the hair. U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,404 depicts an applicator for depositing a hair treatment fluid to a discreet strand of hair. The applicator is in the form of a longitudinal container having a hook-shaped end, which may contain a wick. A hair strand is placed in the hook-shaped end, and the applicator is drawn along the length of the strand to deposit the treatment fluid onto the strand. This too is exemplary of another construction of devices for applying liquid colorants.
U.S. patent application publication No. 2004-0159329 relates to a hair coloring apparatus which uses a revolving brush to transfer a solid or semi-solid hair colorant from a supply to hair. This device is complex and bulky, requiring batteries to drive a motor and numerous parts and so is not well suited for toting in a pocket or purse. It also can be difficult for a child or younger person to use.
A need exists for a hair color applicator capable of overcoming these and other disadvantages of the conventional systems, and in particular for a device that directly applies solid and semi-solid colorants to hair.